Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-15547-3 — The Theory and Applications of Instanton Calculations Manu Paranjape Frontmatter More Information THE THEORY AND APPLICATIONS OF INSTANTON CALCULATIONS Instantons, or pseudoparticles, are solutions to the equations of motion in classical field theories on a Euclidean spacetime. Instantons are found everywhere in quantum theories as they have many applications in quantum tunnelling. Diverse physical phenomena may be described through quantum tunnelling, for example: the Josephson effect, the decay of meta-stable nuclear states, band formation in tight binding models of crystalline solids, the structure of the gauge theory vacuum, confinement in 2+1 dimensions, and the decay of superheated or supercooled phases. Drawing inspiration from Sidney Coleman’s Erice lectures, this volume provides an accessible, detailed introduction to instanton methods, with many applications, making it a valuable resource for graduate students in many areas of physics, from condensed matter, particle and nuclear physics, to string theory. Manu Paranjape has been a professor at the Université de Montréal for the past 30 years. In this time he has worked on quantum field theory, the Skyrme model, non-commutative geometry, quantum spin tunnelling and conformal gravity. Whilst working on induced fermion numbers, he discovered induced angular momentum on flux tube solitons, and more recently he discovered the existence of negative-mass bubbles in de Sitter space, which merited a prize in the Gravity Research Foundation essay competition. © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-15547-3 — The Theory and Applications of Instanton Calculations Manu Paranjape Frontmatter More Information CAMBRIDGE MONOGRAPHS ON MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS General Editors: P. V. Landshoff, D. R. Nelson, S. Weinberg S. J. Aarseth Gravitational N-Body Simulations: Tools and Algorithms † J. Ambjørn, B. Durhuus and T. Jonsson Quantum Geometry: A Statistical Field Theory Approach † A. M. Anile Relativistic Fluids and Magneto-fluids: With Applications in Astrophysics and Plasma Physics J. A. de Azcárraga and J. M. Izquierdo Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, Cohomology and Some Applications in Physics † O. Babelon, D. Bernard and M. Talon Introduction to Classical Integrable Systems † F. Bastianelli and P. van Nieuwenhuizen Path Integrals and Anomalies in Curved Space † D. Baumann and L. McAllister Inflation and String Theory V. Belinski and M. Henneaux The Cosmological Singularity † V. Belinski and E. Verdaguer Gravitational Solitons † J. Bernstein Kinetic Theory in the Expanding Universe† G. F. Bertsch and R. A. Broglia Oscillations in Finite Quantum Systems† N. D. Birrell and P. C. W. Davies Quantum Fields in Curved Space† K. Bolejko, A. Krasiński, C. Hellaby and M-N. Célérier Structures in the Universe by Exact Methods: Formation, Evolution, Interactions D. M. Brink Semi-Classical Methods for Nucleus-Nucleus Scattering † M. Burgess Classical Covariant Fields † E. A. Calzetta and B.-L. B. Hu Nonequilibrium Quantum Field Theory S. Carlip Quantum Gravity in 2 +1 Dimensions † P. Cartier and C. DeWitt-Morette Functional Integration: Action and Symmetries † J. C. Collins Renormalization: An Introduction to Renormalization, the Renormalization Group and the Operator-Product Expansion † P. D. B. Collins An Introduction to Regge Theory and High Energy Physics † M. Creutz Quarks, Gluons and Lattices † P. D. D’Eath Supersymmetric Quantum Cosmology † J. Dereziński and C. Gérard Mathematics of Quantization and Quantum Fields F. de Felice and D. Bini Classical Measurements in Curved Space-Times F. de Felice and C. J. S Clarke Relativity on Curved Manifolds † B. DeWitt Supermanifolds, 2nd edition † P. G. O. Freund Introduction to Supersymmetry † F. G. Friedlander The Wave Equation on a Curved Space-Time† J. L. Friedman and N. Stergioulas Rotating Relativistic Stars Y. Frishman and J. Sonnenschein Non-Perturbative Field Theory: From Two Dimensional Conformal Field Theory to QCD in Four Dimensions J. A. Fuchs Affine Lie Algebras and Quantum Groups: An Introduction, with Applications in Conformal Field Theory † J. Fuchs and C. Schweigert Symmetries, Lie Algebras and Representations: A Graduate Course for Physicists † Y. Fujii and K. Maeda The Scalar-Tensor Theory of Gravitation † J. A. H. Futterman, F. A. Handler, R. A. Matzner Scattering from Black Holes † A. S. Galperin, E. A. Ivanov, V. I. Ogievetsky and E. S. Sokatchev Harmonic Superspace † R. Gambini and J. Pullin Loops, Knots, Gauge Theories and Quantum Gravity † T. Gannon Moonshine beyond the Monster: The Bridge Connecting Algebra, Modular Forms and Physics † A. García-Díaz Exact Solutions in Three-Dimensional Gravity M. Göckeler and T. Schücker Differential Geometry, Gauge Theories, and Gravity † C. Gómez, M. Ruiz-Altaba and G. Sierra Quantum Groups in Two-Dimensional Physics † M. B. Green, J. H. Schwarz and E. Witten Superstring Theory Volume 1: Introduction M. B. Green, J. H. Schwarz and E. Witten Superstring Theory Volume 2: Loop Amplitudes, Anomalies and Phenomenology V. N. Gribov The Theory of Complex Angular Momenta: Gribov Lectures on Theoretical Physics † J. B. Griffiths and J. Podolský Exact Space-Times in Einstein’s General Relativity † © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-15547-3 — The Theory and Applications of Instanton Calculations Manu Paranjape Frontmatter More Information S. W. Hawking and G. F. R. Ellis The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time† F. Iachello and A. Arima The Interacting Boson Model † F. Iachello and P. van Isacker The Interacting Boson-Fermion Model † C. Itzykson and J. M. Drouffe Statistical Field Theory Volume 1: From Brownian Motion to Renormalization and Lattice Gauge Theory † C. Itzykson and J. M. Drouffe Statistical Field Theory Volume 2: Strong Coupling, Monte Carlo Methods, Conformal Field Theory and Random Systems † G. Jaroszkiewicz Principles of Discrete Time Mechanics G. Jaroszkiewicz Quantized Detector Networks C. V. Johnson D-Branes† P. S. Joshi Gravitational Collapse and Spacetime Singularities † J. I. Kapusta and C. Gale Finite-Temperature Field Theory: Principles and Applications, 2nd edition † V. E. Korepin, N. M. Bogoliubov and A. G. Izergin Quantum Inverse Scattering Method and Correlation Functions † J. Kroon Conformal Methods in General Relativity M. Le Bellac Thermal Field Theory † Y. Makeenko Methods of Contemporary Gauge Theory † S. Mallik and S. Sarkar Hadrons at Finite Temperature N. Manton and P. Sutcliffe Topological Solitons † N. H. March Liquid Metals: Concepts and Theory † I. Montvay and G. Münster Quantum Fields on a Lattice† P. Nath Supersymmetry, Supergravity, and Unification L. O’Raifeartaigh Group Structure of Gauge Theories † T. Ortín Gravity and Strings, 2nd edition A. M. Ozorio de Almeida Hamiltonian Systems: Chaos and Quantization † M. Paranjape The Theory and Applications of Instanton Calculations L. Parker and D. Toms Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime: Quantized Fields and Gravity R. Penrose and W. Rindler Spinors and Space-Time Volume 1: Two-Spinor Calculus and Relativistic Fields† R. Penrose and W. Rindler Spinors and Space-Time Volume 2: Spinor and Twistor Methods in Space-Time Geometry † S. Pokorski Gauge Field Theories, 2 nd edition † J. Polchinski String Theory Volume 1: An Introduction to the Bosonic String † J. Polchinski String Theory Volume 2: Superstring Theory and Beyond † J. C. Polkinghorne Models of High Energy Processes † V. N. Popov Functional Integrals and Collective Excitations † L. V. Prokhorov and S. V. Shabanov Hamiltonian Mechanics of Gauge Systems S. Raychaudhuri and K. Sridhar Particle Physics of Brane Worlds and Extra Dimensions A. Recknagel and V. Schiomerus Boundary Conformal Field Theory and the Worldsheet Approach to D-Branes R. J. Rivers Path Integral Methods in Quantum Field Theory † R. G. Roberts The Structure of the Proton: Deep Inelastic Scattering † C. Rovelli Quantum Gravity † W. C. Saslaw Gravitational Physics of Stellar and Galactic Systems † R. N. Sen Causality, Measurement Theory and the Differentiable Structure of Space-Time M. Shifman and A. Yung Supersymmetric Solitons H. Stephani, D. Kramer, M. MacCallum, C. Hoenselaers and E. Herlt Exact Solutions of Einstein’s Field Equations, 2nd edition † J. Stewart Advanced General Relativity † J. C. Taylor Gauge Theories of Weak Interactions † T. Thiemann Modern Canonical Quantum General Relativity † D. J. Toms The Schwinger Action Principle and Effective Action † A. Vilenkin and E. P. S. Shellard Cosmic Strings and Other Topological Defects † R.S.WardandR.O.Wells,JrTwistor Geometry and Field Theory † E. J. Weinberg Classical Solutions in Quantum Field Theory: Solitons and Instantons in High Energy Physics J. R. Wilson and G. J. Mathews Relativistic Numerical Hydrodynamics † † Available in paperback © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-15547-3 — The Theory and Applications of Instanton Calculations Manu Paranjape Frontmatter More Information The Theory and Applications of Instanton Calculations MANU PARANJAPE Université de Montréal © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-15547-3 — The Theory and Applications of Instanton Calculations Manu Paranjape Frontmatter More Information University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10006, USA 477 Williamstown